Love Crimes
by Pollokit
Summary: A disillusioned Marinette, reveling in her new found freedom, starts making her move on pretty much any single boy her age. Everyone except Adrien Agreste. He is determined to find out why. Meanwhile Ladybug and Chat Noir are facing a brand new malicious opponent who has no trouble stalking and kidnapping women. Now throw in Felix into the mix. Voila! Mari's Recipe for Disaster.
1. Prologue

"Such a silly thing to do...fall in love with you.

Don't be scared, I've got plans of my own."

-"Made to Measure" by the Hoosiers

* * *

Marinette was suffering from a very severe case of Adrien Agreste withdrawal.

Alya claimed Marinette was being dramatic. But when your long-term crush starts to wither away, it can be very overwhelming.

In other words, Marinette's infatuation with Adrien was starting to disappear. She must be insane, because one does not simply get over Adrien Agreste.

It had started slow.

Marinette stopped stuttering, she had figured it was a huge step in getting closer to Adrien.

But then she could talk to him with ease. She could smile. She could joke and laugh.

Adrien's smiles and gentle touches stopped producing the same effect they once had on her.

There was an occasional stumble due to her untrustworthy feet. But no longer was she the girl who could manage to land herself in a trashcan in front of her crush.

That's when she realized it was because she no longer had the crush. She _was_ getting closer to him.

Closer as an ordinary friend.

Adrien had been such a constant beacon in her life. But on the day she took down the pictures of Adrien from her walls, she held nothing but a strong inner cringe.

Adrien, of course, could have been none the wiser on the raven-haired girl's inner turmoil.

Every dazzling smile he sent her way was proof Marinette had lost her sanity because come on. Who could resist those dimpled cheeks?

Alya declared it was about damn time Marinette got over him, _you've been drooling over him for three years girl._

To Marinette, it had been the best three years of her life. Liking Adrien had been addictive. Placed her in a constant state of a butterfly filled stomach. One look from him, and Marinette had enough energy to last her the day.

Now he was another kind boy friend from her class. Take note of the space between 'boy' and 'friend'.

Alya maintained that Marinette shouldn't bother trying to rekindle her feelings for Adrien.

"Think about it this way Mari. Ever since you stopped liking him you haven't fallen or embarrassed yourself. As much." Alya waggled her eyebrows, "More boys can chase after you now that your old obvious crush on Adrien isn't in the way."

"It wasn't that obvious." Marinette spluttered.

Alya rose a single brow.

Marinette sighed, "Okay, it was obvious. But clearly not obvious enough because Adrien never realized it."

"Girl have you met the guy? You could kiss him flat on the lips and he'd say 'What a nice way of greeting friends, Marinette.'" Alya mimicked him poorly.

"He's not that dense." Marinette protested, but the doubt was very present in her statement.

Alya could tell she was starting to see sense.

"Ugh." Marinette threw herself on her pink chaise. "What am I supposed to do now?"

"Focus on school, fashion, baking? Hell, even playing video games would be better than pouting over not liking a boy. Who even does that anyway?" Alya blew at her freshly painted nails. "Other than you, of course."

The polish on her index nail was crooked in its coating. Damn.

"Is it so wrong to long for a warm embrace from a handsome boy?" Marinette blinked up at the ceiling while stretched out like a starfish. "I don't care who, just a cute boy who I can steal sweaters from. I've never even been on a date! Unless you count that weird meeting with Nino or the time with the Evillustrator on the boat."

"Yeah, those weren't proper dates." Alya gave a sigh at the completely ruined lavender varnish. She gave up and spun the wheelie chair around to face the chaise. "What about Luka? You two had chemistry."

Marinette gave a thoughtful hum but said nothing else.

"Look, Mari, no one is saying you have to date or crush on a boy to be happy. Like I said, you can focus on your studies or hobbies."

"People who are dating someone don't have the right to say that. I can focus on my interests and have a boyfriend at the same time." Marinette pouted. "Maybe I'll give Luka a try. He has always been nice. Or give any boy who isn't Adrien Agreste a try."

Alya rolled her eyes fondly.

Her eyes lit up as a metaphorical light bulb appeared over her head.

Marinette narrowed her eyes at Alya. "For the last time, I'm not going to date the barista at Starbucks so you can get free coffee."

Alya's expression drooped. "But he so obviously likes you!"

Marinette leveled her a look.

She then chuckled, "Whenever a boy shows signs of liking me I am turned off. My type seems to be unattainable boys."

With a dramatic sigh, she threw her arm over her eyes.

Alya gave a patronizing tut, "If I weren't so happy with Nino, I'd be happy with all the attention you receive."

"But it's never from those I want." Marinette huffed. "Besides you recieve a lot of attention even though you're with Nino."

Alya grinned.

Marinette walked over to her full-length mirror and gave herself an appraising look. "It's time for a change."

She then, to Alya's horror, grabbed a pair of scissors and began snipping locks of hair off.

* * *

**Disclaimer: I do not own Miraculous Ladybug and any of the characters written about here. The franchise belongs to Thomas Astruc. My goal in this is only to inspire some girls or boys to feel confident and go out there to get what they want. :)**

**I will update soon as I already have half of the second chapter written. This story will include story arcs, I don't know how long it will be yet but this is only the tip of the iceberg.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	2. Into the Rabbit Hole

**Adam showed up in one of the Miraculous Ladybug comic issues by the way. Also Mari looks like she does in the drawing I drew as the cover art for this story. :)**

* * *

"Someone said they left together

I ran out the door to get her

She was holding hands with Trevor

Not the greatest feeling ever..."

Song: The Less I Know the Better by Tame Impala

* * *

"Suddenly, this seems like a very bad idea," Marinette tugged at the shortened strands of her hair.

"Mari, I swear girl, you're going to drive me insane." Alya grabbed onto the collar of Marinette's shirt as the raven-haired girl made move to run home.

"You did not cut your hair and dressed in that cute outfit just for you to chicken out."

Marinette stiffened as Alya made move to drag her through the school entrance. "Any boy you try to flirt with would be a fool not to fall for you."

They made their way through the courtyard. Alya scrutinized the boys.

Alya grinned at the sight of a tan brunette waving goodbye to his friend from his spot at the staircase. "Hey Adam, Marinette wants to talk to you!"

She pushed the panicking girl towards the boy. Marinette whipped around hoping Alya would at least catch her scathing glare. Her glasses-wearing friend didn't even look the slightest bit apologetic.

Adam's eyes shifted between the two girls. He didn't know much about Marinette other than the fact that she was Adrien's friend. And that she looked different from the last time he saw her.

Adam rubbed his hand behind his neck, beginning to wonder if this was some sort of prank to make a fool out of him. "Unless it's about hockey I really have to go-"

_I might as well_. _Come on Marinette, you've got this_.

Marinette turned around and squared herself.

She decided relying on body language would be more effective so she leaned in closer to Adam. He rose a questioning brow.

Marinette brushed a wavy lock of hair behind her ear. Adam's eyes followed the action.

A flirtatious spark flickered in her eyes, half hooded by her dark eyelashes. Adam felt his face start to flush the longer she held his gaze.

"Was there-" Marinette looked at him from the bottom up."...something you needed Marinette?" he gulped, his attempt at dismissing her forgotten.

"Well, _Adam_," Marinette took a step closer and Adam could feel the hairs at the back of his neck begin to rise. Adam's gaze flickered down, transfixed by her soft pink lips as she murmured, "I was wondering if-"

An awkward cough caused them both to turn around.

_Oh geez_.

* * *

Adrien walked through the school gates and caught sight of a dark-haired girl batting her eyelashes at a flustered looking Adam.

As he walked closer he soon realized it wasn't a new student he was looking at but Marinette.

She had her hands clasped behind her skirt, posture inclined towards the flushing boy. Her eyes sparkled with mirth as she raked her eyes up and down Adam's figure. Adrien gaped at the realization Marinette was flirting with the brunette.

The blond cleared his throat loudly and Adam startled.

Marinette turned around and met Adrien's eyes, they seemed almost accusing.

"Hello Marinette, Adam." Adrien smiled, "Mind if I pass by you two? I've got to get to class."

"O-of course." Seemingly remembering that he was blocking the stairway, Adam all but scurried off red in the face.

Marinette's eyes flashed with disappointment but Adrien pretended not to notice. "I guess I better head up too, then." Marinette sighed.

* * *

"Nice haircut Marinette, your outfit looks great too," Adrien grinned as the pair made their way up the stairs. "Did you design it yourself?"

Marinette resisted the urge to facepalm. It was just her luck Adrien popped up when she was trying to start a new chapter in her love life.

Though she supposes she probably wouldn't have gotten anywhere with Adam anyway. He had a knack for getting defensive when teased. As seen in the last time he got teased, after Adrien had beat him in hockey, he'd not taken it well and got akumatized into Replay. That wasn't going to help her much if she wanted to flirt with him. Chat could testify that his lady was in all forms a tease.

Marinette's previous disappointment faded away, there were plenty of options.

Furthermore, she was still happy to see her golden-haired friend.

"Yes, I did. It's something I'd been working on for the past week." Marinette smiled.

Adrien looked like he wanted to say something more, but he closed his mouth as they arrived in class.

Marinette made a beeline to her spot by Alya. Accusation burned from her eyes to the side of her best friend's head.

"How'd it go?" Alya dared to give her a knowing grin.

"It was going well actually, well at least until he who will not be named showed up," Marinette whispered.

"I didn't know Voldemort attended our school-ow!"

"You should know, I hate you."

"You love me." Alya blew her a kiss and both girls busted into a fit of giggles.

Adrien drummed the tips of his fingers along his desk. He glanced back at Marinette, considering something.

* * *

In the next couple of weeks, he caught her chatting up brunettes, blonds, black-haired boys, you name it.

Each time she fluttered her eyelashes at a boy Adrien felt at loss for words.

But not for very long, as he interrupted each one of her flirtatious adventures with a;

"Hey Marinette, you said we could work on that project together?-"

"Marinette, do you want to play the new version of Max's game-"

"Marinette, I think Alya is calling for you-"

Ever the poster boy he'd say, "Sorry for interrupting-" "Excuse me-" "Sorry-" "Sorry-"

On one particularly more advanced flirting encounter in which the new boy was very much reciprocating Marinette's advances, practically about to ask her out, Adrien intruded with a "Mari, I've got great news. My dad said you could come over Friday. We could have fun in my room. "

No 'sorry for interrupting' was given that time.

* * *

Adrien was merely protecting Marinette, several weirdos could take advantage of her. He said as much to Nino as the goalie deflected the small foosball. Nino groaned, they were tied 4 to 4 and had been for a while.

His amber eyes warily glanced at the blond across from him on the other side of the Foosball table. "I get what you're saying dude, but have you thought that maybe..." the ball rocketed back and forward several times, no goal made once more.

Adrien sighed, "Let's play something else instead." They made their way to the basketball court, "Sorry, you were saying?"

"It sounds to me like, and don't take this the wrong way-" Nino dribbled the ball, "-maybe you're...jealous?"

"Jealous," Adrien uttered the word in a way that suggested he's never associated himself with it.

He caught the ball and threw it in the hoop. "I'm not jealous. Marinette is my friend, friends protect their friends."

"They don't always need protecting."

"They don't?" Adrien looked like a kicked puppy.

Nino took pity on him and purposefully missed his shot on the hoop. "No. Marinette can flirt with whoever she wants to. She's got Alya to protect her, and besides, Marinette is a tough girl."

"Yeah, she is." Adrien brightened, "You think she'll realize we, as her friends, can keep her more entertained than those boys?"

The ball hit Nino's forehead, saving him the trouble.

* * *

**Sorry for the wait! I swear I had this chapter done but the editing made me lazy. I've also been deleting and adding this one particular scene but I think it may arrive the next chapter. To make things clear there will be eventual romance in the love square I just love torturing Adrien and Mari. I'm going to keep making small edits as I find errors along the way so please bear with me. Thanks for reading!**


	3. Foggy Lenses

"Years too late... In my mind when she's not right there beside me

I go crazy because here isn't where I want to be

And satisfaction feels like a distant memory

And I can't help myself,

All I wanna hear you say is 'Are you mine?'"

\- 'R U Mine' by the Arctic Monkeys

* * *

Pounding steps echoed down the alleyway, it chased the lighter, scared scurrying steps of a woman.

She evaded the lunge of a knife by a bare inch. Her ragged breathing increased.

A tall building loomed over her signaling the end. She'd made it so far only to disappoint the girls who needed her.

Tears rushed down her pale cheeks and she began hyperventilating as the dooming figure lurked behind her. There was nowhere she could go. Her throat had long ago closed up from crying for help in that loathsome dark cell. She would die now, cold, alone, helpless to the man who'd already caused her and the other girls so much pain.

"Nowhere to go now, eh, little sister?" he purred in his usual scratchy baritone, causing a shiver to go down her spine.

"St-stay away." she croaked out in a hoarse voice.

She tried to speak more but only strangled coughs escaped her chapped lips covered in dried blood.

A low chuckle escaped his feral grin.

He prowled in a half-circle, like a predator surrounding its prey, determining when to lunge.

A loud whirring noise flew by and wrapped itself around him, the end of it a bright red polka-dotted emblem of salvation.

"Well if it isn't the one and only miraculous little lady." he chortled, not looking the slightest bit scared to be on the receiving end of the blue fury in the heroine's eyes.

"Scoundrels like you belong in hell. What have you done to her?"

"Aw, you hear that? Someone does care for you, after all, darling!" he cried out hysterically to the frightened form huddled at the dead end.

A cry of relief escaped the trembling woman before she collapsed.

"Shut it you filthy-" the wires tightened around him. The raven-haired girl couldn't dial the police or her partner with her yo-yo occupied, so she hollered for help.

"I'm afraid this is the end of the line, my little bug. But don't worry, I'll be back for you." he cackled with evil glee as a dark shroud of smoke overtook him, alarming the blue-eyed heroine. The wires fell on the floor where the madman clad in black once stood. All that remained in that cold alley under the moonlight was her and the unconscious woman.

She rushed to her and began frantically trying to feel a pulse. Once she felt the steady familiar rhythm, she whipped her yo-yo into her hand and dialed the police and Chat Noir.

* * *

"-We appreciate your cooperation Ladybug, but we can take it from here. We don't need a pair of kids sticking their noses where they don't belong." the officer sneered.

The raven-haired girl narrowed her eyes at the older man. "I don't mean to be rude or undermine your work sir, but if I hadn't been on patrol the young lady could have bled to death by the time _you_ found her. Chat and I take turns patrolling and could very well keep an eye out for the perpetrator who did this to her. Right, Chat?"

Chat's eyes were in a clouded dreamy haze, staring off into the brick wall. The fact that Ladybug had spoken finally registered and he blinked out of his daze, "Er, yeah..."

Ladybug's right eye twitched and the police officer gave him an unimpressed stare.

The green-eyed boy fervently wished he had slept earlier instead of pondered desperately over his freckled classmate. Maybe then his brain wouldn't be so sluggish. At the same time who could blame him? The position of the moon indicated it was well past most people's bedtimes.

"As I was saying, a crime scene is no place for a child. Leave it to the professionals," he tossed a scrutinizing glare at Chat over his shoulder, "And don't forget to have your partner tucked in by his mommy. He clearly needs it."

Chat Noir winced, "My mom's dead."

Ladybug's eyes widened to the size of saucers. She grabbed the scruff of his neck and dragged her partner away.

"Chat-" she paused not knowing where to start with him. On one hand she understood he needed sleep, and this was confirmed further as she had to pull him away from walking into a lamppost for the third time. But, she felt sympathy at his admission to the officer.

She chewed her lip trying to think of what to say. Chat noticed her discomfort.

"She's not dead my lady, just miss-" Chat quieted at the sight of his Lady's glare.

"You had me worried, and stop sprouting personal information."

The pair came to a stop in front of their usual meeting and parting point. Ladybug's eyes softened, "And get some sleep Chat."

As she became a distant red blur Chat Noir looked up at the sky.

* * *

Tikki had received a fresh batch of her favourite cookies. She'd made it so that Marinette's old pigtails had appeared when she transformed the night previous. Now no one would ever suspect Marinette to be Ladybug. Then again some people (Chat Noir and Alya) had suspected Chloe to be Ladybug years ago so perhaps there wasn't much hope for the Parisians to begin with.

Marinette twirled her pencil around her fingers, her thoughts drifting towards her feline friend. She wondered if he finally got sleep. Or if he'd shown up to school with a bird's nest for hair instead of his usual "commercial worthy" locks(as he put it). At the thought of that she stifled her laughter.

"What's so funny?" Adrien cocked his head.

Marinette almost startled at the sudden appearance of the blond. "Nothing, just thinking about a friend of mine."

Adrien pursed his lips. "You've been going around making a lot of new friends lately, huh?"

Marinette narrowed her eyes at Adrien. "Yes, I guess you could call it that."

Surprised filled her as a glint of something she would have never associated with the happy blond appeared in his green eyes. He turned around to face the front of the classroom before she could say anything.

Unbeknownst to Marinette, Adrien propped up his chin on his hand, and smirked. A plan formulated in his head.

* * *

**So I finally included the start of the kidnapper arc. It's a bit harder to sew it together with the main one, at least more than I thought it would be but here we go. I've never written a serious fighting segment in my entire life because I am terrible at it, so if you have any advice or critiques feel free to leave some.**

**Edit: So this third chapter is getting more views than the second? I hope you guys didn't accidentally skip chapter 2.**


	4. Everybody Talks too Much

"Hey Baby won't you look my way,

I could be your new addiction

Hey baby what you gotta say?

All you're giving me is fiction

I'm a sorry sucker

and this happens all the time

I found out that everybody talks."

Song: 'Everybody Talks' by Neon Trees

* * *

Nino was a simple man. A man who loved his girlfriend. So even when news of an akuma interrupted their dates and Alya went running off to go film ladybug, he supported her.

"Sorry babe, I just can't miss this next one, the Ladyblog has reached one million subs and I can't start losing them now!" Alya kissed him on the cheek.

"Don't worry about me," Nino gave her his reassuring thumbs up.

But then it happened again. And again. After several weeks of the same thing he was starting to get a bit, just a bit, tired of it.

"You can come with if you'd like." Alya said, unlocking the chain on her bike.

"It's fine, I'll call up Adrien and check if he wants to hang." Nino waved away his girlfriend.

He didn't call Adrien. For whatever reason Adrien was always unavailable when an akuma attack happened, he always managed to get caught in the crossfire, or so the blond claimed. It was odd considering Adrien's father rarely let the boy have free time in general. So how _did_ he keep getting caught up in akuma attacks? Nino brushed his skeptical thoughts aside, it didn't matter because if Adrien was not in the akuma attack his father still wouldn't let him hang out, and also because Nino was not the type to second guess his friend.

* * *

Alya second guessed her best friend.

In retrospect, Alya had known this was coming but had been clueless to when exactly it was going to happen. Marinette was a nice girl, always helpful, always there for her friends, even when she busy and stressed she would drop whatever she was doing to help them. The girl had an I-shall-not-let-you-down complex like no other Alya had seen. She's talented and cute as well, a nice bonus. For these reasons, it was inevitable that even someone as dense to his surroundings like Adrien would fall for her.

So when she caught Adrien staring intently at Nathaniel as he chatted excitedly with Marinette about art or whatnot, Alya was only partially surprised. The tab at the back of her brain labeled 'Marinette and Adrien's Complicated Relationship' was reopened and examined. Adrien's expression indicated he was questioning the appearance of Nathaniel at Marinette's side, the same way animals checked whether the presence of a new animal was safe or not.

Anyone sane would automatically know Nathaniel was a friend and nothing more, however considering how long it took the clueless blond to finally take notice of Mari, it would take Adrien a little longer to realize Nathaniel only had eyes for Marc(in the romantic light) and not the raven-haired girl.

But Alya digresses, Adrien's newfound interest in Marinette was not the only reason she second-guessed Marinette, it was also Mari's insistent claim that she was over Adrien. Alya did not doubt Marinette was over him, no, she wouldn't have been flirting so freely if that were the case. What Alya was second-guessing was whether she would stay over him. Alya worried if she found out he was jealous Mari would jump the boat and give up her fun to go crawling back to the french Adonis with green eyes.

Marinette deserved to have fun and mingle, a good breather from her previous obsession would surely do her well in the long run, maybe give her a little more maturity and experience. That way if she did go back to Adrien, or if she found someone she truly loved and was not infatuated with, Marinette would be prepared.

None of this, of course, meant Alya couldn't sit back and enjoy the hilarious show as Adrien fidgeted, resembling a little kid who was twirling his thumbs wondering if he could ask the other kids if he could join the game to play.

Love games were dangerous indeed.

* * *

"No fair, you cheated!"

"Don't be such a sore loser, Kimmy dear," Alix cackled.

Max clicked his pen, "This makes the score 5 to 4."

"Psh, Alix only won because she played her main, had I played Dark Cupid he would have left Timebreaker in the dust."

"A bet's a bet, Kim, so pay up."

Kim groaned and handed the pink-haired girl the cash. Max patted his friend's shoulder, knowing how much Kim hated losing. "I can offer you some strategic tips so that next time your results won't be as...disappointing."

"You should start with teaching him how to make a strategy, he knows nothing about it whatsoever. All brawn and no brains." Alix snickered.

Kim crossed his arms, "I do have a brain! You're just so blinded by its great awesomeness to see it. Right, max?"

"Perhaps you've relied a little too much on me to create plans for your betting endeavors," Max felt a slight bit of guilt at the crestfallen expression on Kim's face. "B-but you do have other strong points about yourself that others don't!"

"Wanna bet that you can't come up with a good plan to save your life?" Alix said.

"With my coolness, I bet I can!" Kim boasted.

Alix caught sight of a certain blond looking lost across the library. She grinned in a devious manner. "Adrien! Kim wants to share some very intelligent advice to you. It involves Mari."

The green-eyed boy gave the trio an appraising stare before reluctantly making his way over to them by the game station. "Have you guys seen her?"

"'Fraid not dude, but Kim knows how to help your situation with her, he knows just the strategy." Alix waggled her eyebrows. "He's a total Casanova, isn't that right Kim?"

Kim nodded eagerly, always one to lap up praise. Max grew wary of where the conversation was going.

Adrien rose a perfectly manicured eyebrow, "Why would I need flirting tips with Marinette?"

Max gaped, for someone as well educated as Adrien he sure was socially inept. Alix looked like a cat who got the cream. "My bad, Kim knows how to plan the perfect friendly outing for you and her."

"Alix I think you're taking this a bit-" Max began.

"Don't worry bro, Marinette will be falling for you in no time." Kim made a sweeping gesture with his hand.

"I don't want her to fall for me I want her to hang out more with me," Adrien frowned thoughtfully.

Max could practically hear the gears shifting in the blond's head.

"She's lately started rejecting a lot of my offers to hang out with her for some reason," Adrien sighed.

Max took pity on him, "If I may be of any help, I believe the reason she's been avoiding your...friendly outings, is because they aren't exactly friendly, they are dates. You've been asking her out on dates."

"Dates," Adrien said with a dumbfounded expression.

"Aha!" Kim exclaimed like he'd found gold. "Invite Nino and Alya to hang out. Nothing says 'I'm not interested in you' like bringing others along."

"But he wants her to be interested in him," Alix said gleefully.

"Hah?" Kim looked puzzled.

"Interested in a friendly manner," Adrien emphasized for the umpteenth time. "But I like your idea, Kim. I think I know of just the place to go."

"Well good luck, I'm sure she sees you as only a good friend especially since she used to have a cru-" Alix and Max slapped their hands over Kim's mouth.

"Thanks guys! See ya later."

As Adrien walked away Kim grinned triumphantly at Alix. "I told you I could stratize."

"Strategize."

"Same thing."

Max pushed up his glasses to the ridge of his nose. "It appears you've set Adrien up to go on a double date without him realizing it, and still kept him under the false belief he only has platonic feelings for Marinette. That is most impressive, Kim."

"Boys." Alix huffed.

* * *

The gloomy sky left a faint smile on Juleka's lips. How could anyone hate anything so majestic? It would surely be a good day.

She hoped it would rain, the pitter-patter always soothed her nerves. The droplets were an emblem of what was once one up in the sky, a unity that scattered so beautifully. They looked so lovely on roses especially. At the thought of roses, Juleka smiled, even more, thinking of her own bright pink rose.

Her train of thought was interrupted by the sound of two boys walking their way past her.

"I don't know dude, it just seems kinda..."

"Think about it, this could help me get closer to her. We hang out all the time the four of us, how is this any different?"

Juleka hopped off the alcove underneath the staircase where she had been sitting in. The two boys looked startled as if only just realizing she was there.

"Adrien, friendship is the most wonderful thing. I think you should go for whatever it is you're planning to do with Marinette." Juleka patted the shorter boy's shoulder before walking away.

She could hear Nino groan before Adrien exclaimed, "See even Juleka approves! We'll have fun, don't worry."

Juleka mentally nodded to herself, cloudy days are always good days.

* * *

Sabrina nervously chewed on the tip of her pencil. She'd been contemplating something for the past couple of weeks. The ginger hadn't brought it up in fear of displeasing her pretty friend. It was a blessing enough to be in Chloe's good graces, she always shined brightest when she was in a good mood, and it was a sight Sabrina enjoyed the pleasure of and had no intent to ruin. The blonde had been kinder to her the last past couple of weeks, probably due to the happy mood caused by how Marinette was interested in other guys and was no longer chasing after Adrien.

However, it was apparent how Adrien had not taken well to not having Marinette's constant admiration in his life, if his kicked-puppy look was anything to go by. Sabrina was starting to think that this could prove worse than how things had been previously when Adrien had not been interested in Marinette. For this reason, she felt the need to inform Chloe, as a caring friend.

"Chloe don't you find it worrying how much Adrien is paying attention to Marinette?" she implored as gently as she could.

Sabrina squeaked at the death glare Chloe sent her.

"Paying attention? Please, Sabrina, don't make me laugh. He sees her as nothing more than a lackey. Soon though, with my influence, he'll see her for what she truly is, a little miss-nobody!" Chloe tossed her ponytail over her shoulder.

Sabrina gave the blue-eyed girl a skeptical glance before turning her head to watch as Adrien approached Marinette and Alya, bringing along a reluctant Nino.

* * *

"I'll walk you home," Ivan murmured.

Mylene looked up at him fondly. It warmed his otherwise cold thoughts.

The kidnapping cases were getting more frequent and Ivan couldn't risk losing the only light in his life. He wondered how Ladybug and Chat Noir hadn't caught the guy doing it yet. As if voicing his concerns out loud, Mylene answered him. "It's a shame the police suggested Ladybug and Chat Noir stay out of it, I'm sure they would have had him behind bars already. Isn't it scary how he vanishes into thin air though? Do you think he works for Hawkmoth?"

Ivan shook his head.

"You're right this seems worse. On a lighter note did you hear Marinette and Alya are going on a double date with Adrien and Nino. How exciting! Maybe we can go on one too."

Ivan blanched.

* * *

"Ugh!" Ladybug exclaimed.

She began pacing around the shingles of the roof. "He just keeps popping up!"

"You can't get rid of me, my lady." Chat Noir made his dramatic appearance. His elbow was leaning at the side of a chimney as he casually combed his hand through his hair.

Ladybug glared at her partner, "I'm not talking about you. And where have you been? I've been waiting for you forever."

Chat yawned, "Why are we out here anyway? I should be getting ready for bed."

Ladybug spluttered with laughter, "You go to sleep around 8 pm?"

He gave her an incredulous stare, "Doesn't everyone? My father told me- never-mind. The point is, this cat needs his beauty sleep."

Ladybug shook her head with mirth in her eyes.

Her expression grew serious as she remembered Chat's previous question. "We're going to catch a criminal."

* * *

**Or will they :'). Haha anyway hope you guys liked it, this is the longest chapter so far. I've written up to 7,000+ words back when I was 14 but oh how the times have changed, this is only 2,000 lmao. **


	5. Chat's the Favourite

Marinette's eyebrow twitched in irritation.

Her instincts were telling her to flee home into the sweet embrace of her pink comforter and pillows. But she wanted to prove a point to the pretentious officer from the night she'd found Evelyn. (She'd learned her name at the hospital).

To make things worse Mr.I'm-holier-than-thou was one of the lead officers working on the case. The past days since the start of the investigation he'd been breathing down her neck, desperately awaiting the moment she'd make a mistake. The only reason she and Chat were even allowed to help was due to the fact that Evelyn couldn't utter a single word to anyone who wasn't Ladybug without choking up and going into a panic attack, Evelyn barely even let the nurses near her.

"Do not touch anything, altering the state of a crime scene is in of itself, a crime, you know," Officer Dargis sniffed.

"Well it's a good thing I wasn't touching anything," Ladybug huffed.

She looked up to the skies asking for strength not to strangle the man.

"What is this?" Ladybug whirled around to find Chat pressing on a brick, it shifted inside and the wall began to shift until it became an entry way.

Dargis' eyes lit up, "Wonderful job Chat Noir! It's good to see all is not lost for Paris' favourite heroes."

This was another thing Ladybug hated about Dargis, anything Chat Noir did was either redeemable or 'absolutely genius'. Not to say Ladybug wasn't proud of her partner, he pulled through in every situation, was cunning, and witty, and they hadn't made much progress and this was a breakthrough after hours of being stuck in an alleyway that smelled like piss. It's just that Dargis thought everything Ladybug did was utter rats' waste and that Chat was a saint. After his slip about 'my mother is dead' Dargis has all but kissed the ground the leather-clad superhero ground walked on. 'I can relate much to your situation, My mother passed away recently-' he'd said after they met him the second time.

And okay, Ladybug understands that people feel kin to those who experience similar losses but why must the sleazy eyed baster demean her every move? It's like he gets up every morning, does his 100 push-up routine with a mantra of 'screw ladybug' spewing from his dry lips that have probably never seen a chap-stick.

'I'd heard so much about your clever ideas and good moves, I'm afraid I'm disappointed.'

'With your lack of tact it's a wonder how you're the more popular of the two, Chat Noir clearly outshines you.'

And so much more. Chat Noir ever the number one Ladybug fan defended her vehemently but to no avail. To Officer Dargis Chat Noir's opinion on anything was valid except when it came to the spotted heroine's efforts and work.

"My Lady, are you coming?" Chat held out an arm for her, and it was then Ladybug realized he meant for them to go through the entrance and down the stairs.

"Not so fast, I hate to interrupt your progress but the pair of you are quite young. We can take it from here." Juarez, a kinder but also heavily rule enforcing officer, passed by them and held out a flashlight.

Ladybug, feeling more useless than ever, opened up her mouth. A disgruntled Marinette never made wise decisions. "Actually, I am 24. I'm sure whatever is down there is nothing Chat and I can't handle, right Chat?"

Chat's eyes were the size of saucers, an expression that clearly said 'Ladybug's 24?!'. Nonetheless he cooled his expression and straightened up, "I guarantee the My Lady and I have handled various challenging situations, we also have combat experience. An-and I am also 24."

Ladybug knew he was lying, his oddly sentient tail twitched a lot when he did. It was amusing but in the instant Ladybug hoped the officers did not see through their facades.

His reaction now had her feeling a little bad for lying, for all she knew he was 17 and now thought the esteemed love of his life was 7 years older than him.

"Sorry, but this is going to take a more practiced eye for detecting clues, but don't worry! You youngins' can join in later! And make sure to catch some sleep!" Juarez nodded to a selection of other officers before heading in to the strange entrance.

* * *

Ladybug walked around the roof for the umpteenth time.

"Bug, you're not really 24 are you?"

"That stupid Dargis needs to get that stick taken out of his as-"

"I mean not to say 24 isn't attractive-"

She paused and looked over the roofs of the city. "I wonder what kind of expression he'd make if I solved the case before they did-"

Chat Noir reached his eureka moment "-and 6 years isn't too much of a difference. Some call me mature for my age, too. We can make it work."

Ladybug tuned back in to Chat Noir's babbling radio show channel, in which he never ceased discussing all things 'Ladybug'.

Her eye twitched, "Chat I'm not 24."

"Oh, is it older? I guess I'm okay with a kink involving-"

"Chat I'm nowhere near-!" Ladybug shook her head, "We're not supposed to know anything about each other, remember? And I definitely don't want to know about your five minute fantasies. Ugh, leave me out of them too."

"You've no love for me, my lady, it wounds me." Chat sat on the ledge of the roof and placed his elbow casually over one knee.

For a while there was a comfortable silence. At the end of such a long night, it was a relief to hang around each other without the threat of some tacky clothed villain. Usually they left as soon as an akuma fight was over. But this was different, not only because they didn't run the risk of detransforming, but because this had so many more layers stacked on top of it. Ladybug had severely underestimated what cooperating with the police force would be like. And also what kind of toll it would take on her to have the pressure of capturing a horrible criminal and alleged murderer.

"'Bug I think you're letting Dargis get to you. You do so much work for the city, everyone knows it, so don't worry about his comments. Besides, we're doing this for Evelyn and the other girls she mentioned, you can prove Dargis wrong in the process, remember that."

Ladybug sighed, "You're right, it's just...maybe he is also right. Maybe I am too young to handle any of this. Even now, after four years, I wonder if I should really be the one with this miraculous. We've made all the progress thanks to you in this case, I've been busy in the day time trying to make up for the fact the boy I loved never got around to noticing me."

Chat rose an eyebrow, "If he never noticed you he clearly wasn't worth your time Ladybug. Lately I've been trying to get closer to one of my friends. Maybe you should focus on your own instead?"

And here Ladybug was, doing exactly what she'd berated Chat Noir for, oversharing. Nonetheless she was grateful for his outlook. Reflecting on his last comment she realized she should take Chat's example and perhaps...try to form a stronger connection to Chat, as friends that is. Obviously she couldn't do that as Ladybug so what if Marinette were to- "Well I better be going my lady, I've got school in the morning. See ya."

He patted the top of her head and catapulted away on his baton.

Ladybug's was left dumbfounded at the gesture. She reached a hand to the top of her head with a blank expression on her face.

* * *

Felix sighed blissfully into the warm steaming water. Small waves gently lapped at his skin from every angle, coating him with _Honey __Lavender Mist. _And no it wasn't a girl's bubble bath scent, any man would find it sophisticated and proper, thank you very much.

His blonde lashes fluttered closed, joints loosened, and half his face sunk into the water. He'd even lit candles. Nothing could beat this.

A loud jarring ringing made his eyes snap open with irritation. _Just my luck._

~Declined~

Felix sunk back into the water.

**Bzzz. Bzzzz. Bzzz.**

_Fuck's sake. _

"What is it?" Felix barked.

He could hear his assistant's barely restrained 'eep!' on the other end. "Apologies sir, the precinct says they'd like your expertise in the Back-Alley Kidnappings. They've found a tunnel they think is crucial to his scheme."

Rubbing at his temples, Felix let out a single calming ragged breath. _1...2...1...2...1-_

"I'll be on my way."

* * *

**Aha, sorry about my impromptu disappearance. Also for the story's sake Felix is older than the main cast by a couple years, the main cast is 18 btw. **


End file.
